


A Love Like War

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 02:44:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12547036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Title from All Time Low





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title from All Time Low

I’m up in my room when I can hear Niall’s voice coming from the bottom of the stairs, he’s yelling at someone and I have a good guess who it is. This isn’t the first time this week this has happened although today’s fight isn’t as loud as it was yesterday, this is nothing compared to that. The cops won’t be called this time round, at least that’s if they can keep their voices at this level.

I feel bad for Niall really, all he and Liam seem to be doing lately is fighting and I know that it’s taking a toll on him. I know there’s nothing I can do about it though, all he’s going to do is tell me that everything is okay, I shouldn’t worry and it was only a small disagreement. That’s not it, I know that there is something else going on but I don’t want to get too involved.

I try and keep myself busy to try and forget about all the commotion downstairs by listening to my music but their voices just get louder which makes it even harder for me. Suddenly, the house goes quiet and all I hear is the door slamming shut and shaking the walls, which means that Liam has probably had enough and has gone off to find somebody to shag, I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the reason why they’re fighting.

My heart breaks at the thought of Niall being upset, I get up from my desk and head downstairs to see if he needs me or if he wants to be alone. I walk around the corner and into the kitchen to see Niall sat at the end of the table with a glass of whisky in his hand and a solemn look on his face. He looks tired from all the yelling and I could tell that he’s about to start crying, I decide to walk towards him and wrap my arms around him,

“Oh Ni, what happened this time?”

Niall sniffles and wipes his eyes before taking a swig of whisky, his voice shakes when he speaks.

“Oh, nothing, it’s fine”

I don’t believe him for one bit but I can’t say anything else, it might make the situation worse. I let it go and kiss the top of his head before sitting down, I can see the tears forming in his eyes and it looks like he’s trying so hard to keep himself from crying. He shakes it off before standing up,

“Shit! Harry’s going to be here any minute now, let him in when he gets here, I shouldn’t be long”

“Wait, what?  You’re going out, even after you’ve just had a big fight with your boyfriend, you sure that’s a good idea?”

“It’s a great idea!”

He bounds up the stairs leaving me to sit at the table, I shake it off and grab the bottle of whisky drinking the rest of what’s left in the bottle. There’s a knock on the door, not bothering to get up and answer I yell from the kitchen,

“It’s open!”

Harry walks through the door and into the kitchen, he realises that somethings up when he sees a broken plate on the floor,

“What happened this time? How bad was it?”

“I have no idea, I just came home to both of them standing in the kitchen yelling about something and the next thing I know I can hear something smash and then the door slamming”

“Oh okay, how is he?”

“He says he’s fine but you know what he’s like, he pretends he’s okay when in reality he’s hurting inside. I think this is probably the worst fight they’ve had in a while”

“Shit, that bad?”

“Yeah, where are you guys going tonight?”

“Oh, a friend of ours is having a party so we said that we would go round. Did you want to come with us?”

“Uh no, not tonight. I’ve got a few things to finish up for uni but thanks offering, maybe next time”

Niall comes down the stairs and I must say he’s looking quite fit despite he was almost on the verge of tears not only 5 minutes ago.

“Hey Haz, you ready?” Harry turns towards me

“Yeah, you sure you don’t want to come with us? Get out the house maybe?”

“Nah its fine, you two go and have fun, uh Harry, make sure he doesn’t get too drunk and do anything stupid”

“I won’t, I promise. See you later, yeah”

“Yeah”

As Harry and Niall leave I walk towards the fridge to grab a drink before heading outside for a smoke. I can’t help but think about what Niall is potentially going to get up to at that party, I just hope he isn’t screwing around trying to forget about the fight, my stomach flips at the thought. My phone buzzes in my pocket, I look and see that it’s Louis, he’s asking why I didn’t come tonight. I reply telling him that I’m busy although I doubt he’s going to check it.

I finish off my cigarette before sighing and walking inside and into the living room, I look at the time and it’s already 9pm. It’s way too early for me to go to bed, so I decide to put on Netflix just to pass the time. I can feel myself getting tired after sitting downstairs after a while so I turn everything off and I notice that it’s now 11:50pm, I head up to bed and lay staring at the ceiling for a couple of seconds. I quickly check my Facebook and Instagram, liking a few pictures Harry and Louis have posted before charging my phone and turning off the light, falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

I wake up to a noise coming from downstairs, I prepare to jump out of bed and see what it is but then comes a few hushed noises and a crash followed by some giggles and somebody making a shushing sound, I choose to ignore it thinking that it is probably just Niall and Harry coming home from the party, both probably drunk. I turn over and fall back asleep after hearing footsteps coming up the stairs and hearing Niall’s door shutting.

****

I wake up the next morning to the sound of the kettle boiling and Niall laughing in the kitchen, I check my phone to see that Louis messaged me about an hour ago, I don’t bother replying and unplug my phone before grabbing a jumper and heading down the stairs. I round the corner to see Niall standing at the kitchen sink in only his boxers and anger starts to bubble up inside me at the sight of Liam sitting at the table also in his boxers with his hair all over the place. It looks like it wasn’t Harry last night making noise with Niall after all.

My heart sinks knowing that Niall has forgiven Liam and everything that happened last night. I feel sick to my stomach at the thought of those two making up, I walk further into the kitchen and walk to the fridge.

“Morning Niall, Liam.”

“Ah Zayn, didn’t realise you would be up this early on a Saturday, I made tea if you want some?”

I smile but it instantly drops when I see Liam stand up and kiss Niall, not caring that I’m standing there. I can see him look at me from where he’s standing, looking proud of himself, I know he knows about my little crush on Niall and he knows exactly what to do to make me want to punch him. I shake off the feeling deep down in my stomach and pour myself a cup of tea making sure I bump into Liam on my way to sit down at the table.

“Hey babe, just going to jump in the shower, did you maybe want to join me?” I can see him wink.

“I would love to but I don’t want to leave Zayn down here all by himself. He doesn’t know what to do with himself when I’m not around” Niall jokingly nudges my shoulder and smiles widely at me.

“Hey, just go get in the shower. I will still be here when you’re finished”

“It’s fine besides, I need to talk to you about something actually” Niall turns towards me then back to Liam, “I’ll just chat to Zayn and be with you soon okay love?”

“Sure” I can tell Liam isn’t that happy by the way he’s staring at me, he heads up the stairs and I hear the bathroom door shut and the water run. I feel Niall’s hand on my shoulder,

“Zayn, are you okay? If you need to shower first I can go up there and tell him to wait for a few minutes”

“Nah, its fine. I’m still a bit tired, was awake earlier this morning”

“Oh sorry, did we wake you? We tried to stay as quiet as possible but I guess it didn’t work.” He smiles sheepishly at me.

“No, it’s okay. I could get back to sleep, anyway how are you feeling? Shouldn’t you be hungover with your head in the toilet bowl right now?”

“No, I didn’t actually drink much last night, Liam on the other hand.” When he mentions Liam my fists clench underneath the table.

“Oh really. Uh, what did you want to talk to me about?” my voice shaking

“Oh yeah, Liam and I were talking a bit this morning and we want to try and work things out between us today while we’re both calm.”

My heart drops, I didn’t expect that to happen. I’m a bit worried about how that’s going to work out, I know it’s probably going to end in another fight.

“Oh, that great. I’m happy that you’re going to try to fix things” I’m not happy, I’m fuming. How could Niall believe that Liam wants to fix things when I know for a fact he doesn’t, but I can’t say that to Niall especially since he’s hopeful. So I just leave it and smile at him.

“Yeah, it is. Another thing is and I’m being nice to you about it but could you maybe stay out of the house for a bit? I don’t want to make Liam feel awkward when we talk it out”

“Hey, it’s fine. I’ve got to go and see Harry about something this morning, do you think you will maybe be done by this afternoon? It’s just that I’ve got some studying to do for a test on Monday”

“Yeah, we should be done by then. Thank you so much Zayn, I love you!”

“I love you too” I mean it in a different way than he does and that makes me feel a bit down.

Liam comes down the stairs with only his jeans on and nothing else which makes Niall’s jaw drop a little bit. I can’t help but feel jealous, I force a smile before getting up and heading towards the bathroom to get ready for the shower. I don’t really bother to properly shower, I just rinse my hair and put a little bit of shampoo in it. I just can’t be bothered today to try, I walk out the bathroom with my towel wrapped low on my hips, I look up to see Liam standing there with a mischievous smirk on his face.

“What do you want? You come to annoy and anger me with talk about you and Niall? If so just piss off, okay mate?”

“Somebody’s a bit moody today. Didn’t you get your beauty sleep?”

“Just piss off. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get dressed because unlike you I have a friend to meet with this morning” I push him out the way and shut my door in his face. I hate him so much! I quickly get dressed and style my hair before putting my shoes on, I slip my glasses on and head towards the stairs. It’s only when I get to the stairs that Liam gets in my way again, this time with an even bigger smirk on his face, a smirk I would love to slap off his face.

“What do you want this time? Didn’t we just have a similar conversation not only 15 minutes ago?”

“Yeah, we did but I just want to annoy you before you leave”

“Well can’t you do that another time, I’ve got to go and meet a friend which is something you’re never going to have!”

“Yeah well, I may not have a friend to meet with today but you know what, I have Niall and you don’t”

Who the hell does he think he is? Why would he rub his relationship with Niall in my face when he knows that’s a bit of a sore subject for me. I step forward and get up in his face when Niall comes up the stairs,

“What’s happening up here? Is everything okay?”

“Oh yeah, everything’s fine babe, I was just getting Zayn to see if there was anything in my hair”

“Was there?”

“No, there wasn’t, he’s all good. I should get going actually, don’t want to be late”

“Okay, bye Zayn”

I wave to Niall and get my car keys and wallet from the kitchen. The drive to see Harry isn’t that long, it’s about 15 minutes, I’m not really in the mood today but it’s better than sitting around and moping. At least I will have Harry to help take my mind off things.

Speaking of Harry, I get to Harry’s workplace to see him with his head on the counter and a large coffee sitting next to him, he’s hungover.

“Oi, wake up.”

“Go away, leave me alone to die. My head is killing me and you talking is making it worse”

“Oh sorry, had a little bit too much fun last night?”

“Yeah, Louis kept getting us drinks all night. I don’t know where he found the time to get them seeing as he was attached to me the whole night.”

“Ah, I can tell by the love bite on the side of your neck”

“I’m just so hungover right now I can’t be bothered to tell you to piss off”

“Mm, apart from your boyfriend being all over you and getting absolutely smashed, how was the party? Was Niall okay?”

“I have no idea really, as soon as we got there he left to find somebody but he wouldn’t say who. I know that he left around 2:15 this morning, he told me that he was leaving but I didn’t pay any attention to who he was leaving with, I was too busy with Louis to even bother asking questions. Why? Is everything okay?”

“Oh, he’s fine. So, you didn’t know that he came home with Liam?”

“Oh shit, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even know he was there.”

“It’s fine, it was just a shock to see him sitting half naked at the kitchen table at 9:30 in the morning. But I’m not too bothered about it, hopefully he’s gone when I get home later.”


	2. Chapter 2

****

I get home to hear giggling and I know exactly who it is, I really hope he’s laughing at something on the tv and not at something Liam has said or done. I open the door and I’m met with the sight of the two sitting in the armchair on the opposite side of the living room, Liam’s leaning in to whisper something in Niall ear and I can feel my blood run hot, I hate the fact that Liam’s probably whispering dirty things into Niall’s ear. I drop my keys in the bowl on the side table letting them know that I’m home. I walk into the living room and I flop down onto the sofa, groaning into the pillow loud enough so they hopefully break apart,

Niall speaks up as I lift my head up from the cushion,

“You okay Z?”

“Yeah, fine. Just a bit tired but I’ll get through it”

“Okay, we’re ordering some food later if you want any”

“yeah, let me know when. I’m going to head upstairs and grab my laptop and get on with work if that’s okay?”

“Course mate”

I stand up from the couch and l walk over to Niall and kiss his forehead, causing a reaction from Liam which makes me laugh inside. Niall doesn’t do anything he just sits there and blushes and I feel a little bit victorious. I flick Liam in the side of the head as I walk out the living room and into the kitchen to grab my laptop, I rush up the stairs and close my door to block out the sounds of Liam and Niall talking loudly downstairs.

****

My head starts to hurt and my fingers ache from typing so much. It doesn’t help that I couldn’t really do much work because of what was happening downstairs with Niall and Liam. I can’t take it any longer, I shut the laptop and grab my wallet and keys before walking past Niall and Liam making out on the sofa, I yell that I’m going out and for Niall not to bother ordering food for me, I sigh before opening the door and slamming it shut. I get my phone out of my pocket and text Louis,

_‘I’m coming over, I need a drink or two’_

My phone buzzes with a text from Louis but I don’t really need to look at it to know what it says. I get in the car and turn the radio on, Justin Timberlake blasting through the speakers. I drive over to Louis place in 15 minutes and I kind of wish I didn’t tell him I was coming because he’s going to say something to me about Niall and I’m not sure if I want to hear it. I know he means well, Harry too but I just don’t want to hear it, or at least hear it while I’m sober, I can handle listening to what they have to say when I’ve had a few drinks.

Harry’s car isn’t in the driveway when I pull up, so I take his spot, which I know he hates but he’s not there to stop me. The front doors unlocked so I push it open and make sure I stay silent as I tiptoe through the house and into the kitchen,

“You know, you should really lock your door. There’s some bad people in this neighbourhood”

Louis yells and smacks me on the side of my head, “Zayn! Don’t ever do that again! You scared the crap out of me, why would you do that?”

“I have no idea, thought it would be funny but now I realise it’s not. My head hurts now, I didn’t know you would react like that!”

“Yeah, well you deserved to be hit in the head”

“Calm down” I wrap my arm around his shoulder and pinch his arm, “You look like shit mate, what have you been doing all day?”

“I know I look like shit, I feel it too. I’ve been lying in bed all day and throwing up, wishing I was dead and thinking about how much I’m never drinking again…What about you? heard Liam was there today, he still bugging you?”

“Of course he is, when isn’t he?”

“True...here you go”

Louis hands me a beer and I twist the cap off and take a sip just as my phone buzzes with a text from Niall,

**‘You okay Z? you left all of a sudden’**

I quickly text back,

_‘Everything’s fine, I’ll be back a little bit later just with Louis at the moment. Love you’_

My phone buzzes again, I read the text from Niall,

**‘Okay, see you later. Love you too xx’**

My heart flutters when I read the text and look at the two exes at the end, I really wish they meant something different but they don’t. Louis interrupts me and I can hear the smirk in his voice when he speaks,

“That Niall? What did he want?”

“Oh nothing, just asking why I left suddenly but it’s fine. I told him I’d be home later, so keep distracting me so I don’t keep thinking about what’s going on back at home”

“Sounds great, let’s do it!”

I end up leaving Louis as Harry gets home from work and because I’m too drunk to drive my own car Harry decided he would give me a lift and I can pick my car up in the morning. He drops me off and makes sure I get in the front door before he drives off, he didn’t have to but that’s the type of guy he is. I walk into a quiet house, I mean it’s just after midnight but I would have expected Niall to at least be up, he usually is.

I tiptoe through the house and up the stairs careful not to wake Niall up, I walk past his room to see the light off so he must be asleep but when I open my door and turn my bedside light on, Niall’s laying under the covers in the middle of my bed and my heart beats fast and I feel warm knowing that Niall waited up for me. I tiptoe over to my bed and I push his hair away from his eyes and he stirs, opening his eyes and smiling at me,

“What are you doing? Shouldn’t you be in your own bed?”

“Mm, I should but I couldn’t sleep and I wanted to make sure you got home safe”

“Aw that’s sweet, but wouldn’t Liam be wondering where you are?”

“He would but he had to go back to his place, something about his friend needing his help, I don’t know. He left in a bit of a hurry”

I feel weird after hearing that knowing that Liam left suddenly but I shouldn’t read too much into it, instead I quickly take my shoes off and my jeans before putting on some joggers on and climbing underneath the covers and pulling Niall into my arms,

“You okay?”

“Yeah, sleepy though”

“Go back to sleep, I’ll see you in the morning”

I turn my light off and fall asleep with Niall in my arms and it almost feels like we’re a couple and I feel a smile creep onto my face as I finally drift off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

****

I wake up to an empty bed, I sit up and get used to my surroundings before grabbing my phone and pressing the home button. I look at the time and notice that I’m late for my lecture but I can’t be bothered to get up and go, I can get the notes from someone if I have too. I turn my phone back on and I can see a few texts, one from Niall and two from Louis,

**‘Went to see Liam, will be home later. Love you xx’**

So, that doesn’t make me feel good but that might have something to do with the fact that I was drinking last night but I doubt it. I leave that message and go to read Louis,

_‘I hate you!’_

_‘Never want to drink again’_

I laugh and quickly text him back before putting my phone down on the bedside table and laying back down to stare at the ceiling. My head is hurting and I find myself falling asleep again.

I wake up a few hours later to hear a noise coming from the kitchen, I can hear laughing and I know that laugh from anywhere and my heart flutters whenever I hear it. I throw my covers off and quickly jump in the shower, wetting my hair before getting out and wrapping a towel around my waist before heading downstairs and into the kitchen. I come around the corner to see Niall sitting on the kitchen side talking to Harry and trying to throw pieces of food into Louis hair without him noticing. Niall throws a tiny piece of bread in Louis hair and he groans.

“What’s going on in here?” When Niall looks up I swear he blushes but I don’t make a big deal out of it, he goes back to throwing food.

“Nothing Harry and I are trying to see how many pieces of food we can throw in Louis hair. So far we have been able to throw 25 pieces of food into his hair without him noticing but that’s over now”

Louis groans as I tap the top of his head, “Head up mate”

“How are you not hurting? I thought you would be worse than me”

“I’m good at holding my alcohol, you’re not and Harry can agree with me”

Louis hits my hip and he lifts his head up and squints his eyes before placing his head back on the table, “He wouldn’t side with you and can you please put some clothes on? Some of us don’t want to see that”

“Shut up” I tap his head again before walking out the kitchen, I can feel somebody staring at me and I quickly turn around to see Niall duck his head. My heart flutters when I turn back around and I feel something inside knowing that Niall was watching me as I walked away. I quickly walk up the stairs and into my room grabbing a jumper which once I put it on I realise it’s one of Niall’s but I know he won’t care. I throw on a pair of joggers before grabbing my glasses and heading back down the stairs.

I come back into the kitchen and Louis has now taken to laying on the floor with his hood over his eyes and Niall’s still sitting on the side but he’s now eating and texting with a big smile on his face, I know who that would be. I feel sick to my stomach again, I sometimes wish Niall wouldn’t reply to Liam’s texts straight away. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out and read a text that Louis sent,

_‘If you’re not careful the wind will change and you’re face will stay like that forever’_

I put the finger up at Louis and he just smiles at me before throwing a piece of food that must’ve come from earlier when he was having food thrown at him. I glare at him and he just laughs at me and he turns around to Niall and throws food at him. I turn around to see Harry walking into the kitchen with a look on his face that I can’t really figure out. I don’t say anything as he sits down in front of me.


	4. Chapter 4

****

Later on in the evening Louis receives a text from someone he knows letting him know he’s having a party at the club tonight. I groan but Louis tells me that I have to go to this one and I have to try and have some fun but I know I won’t be able to because I know for a fact Liam will be there and I know I’m going to have to watch him stick his tongue down Niall’s throat. At least I can have a few drinks even though I know I shouldn’t after last night, I know for a fact I’m going to have to stop Louis from drinking and possibly making an idiot out of himself.

“I’m not in the mood, can’t I just stay in again?”

“Zayn, no you cannot. You need to get out there and have a good time, maybe meet someone to help you take your mind off things” Louis nods his head in Niall’s direction and I drop my head on the table.

“Fine, but if have to pull you and Harry off each other like I had to last time all of us went out together I’m not going to be your biggest fan”

“I can’t promise anything but okay, just for you”

“Thanks mate, when are we going?

“Soon, about 30 minutes so you have enough time to get ready and look pretty”

I get up and head upstairs passing Niall on the way up and I have to admit he’s looking good. I mean he always looks good but tonight he looks even better and I feel my heart beat fast in my chest when he turns around but I quickly walk into my room and flop down face first onto my pillows. I feel the bed sink and I left my head up to see Niall laying down next to me and I can see him move his hand to stroke my hair.

“You okay Z?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just feel a bit sick but I can get through it”

“You sure? Cause we can stay in tonight, I’ll tell Liam we won’t be there tonight…”

“No, you go and have fun with Liam tonight, I’ll be okay…really”

“You sure?”

“Yeah I’ll be down in a few minutes”

“Okay” Niall kisses my head before walking out. I get up and grab a pair of jeans and a shirt from my wardrobe before styling my hair and heading downstairs. Louis taps me on the shoulder before he jumps on Harry’s back. I shake my head and follow catching Niall’s eye and we both laugh quietly as we link arms.

The club is packed when we get there and I feel like I can’t breathe, Niall senses this and links his pinkie finger with mine. I smile at him as he pulls me along with him into the swarm of sweaty bodies, he continues to hold onto my finger until we get to the booth and he lets go once we’re sat down,

“What do you want to drink?”

“Rum and coke thanks” I pull my wallet out but Niall stops me before I can pull out some money, “You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll buy. It’s fine”

I smile as he walks off and Louis elbows me in the ribs, I turn to glare at him,

“What was that for?”

“You need to man up and tell the guy, you can’t keep this hidden from him”

“Louis, look over there! Niall’s already got his tongue shoved down Liam’s throat!”

“Go and pull him away from him then! Go and grab the back of his shirt and turn him round, push him against the bar and kiss him! I know you want too, if you don’t want Liam to get mad at you I can distract him while you make a move on Niall”

“Louis, I love you but that is the worst idea you’ve had! He’s happy with Liam and I’m not going to jeopardise that because I’m in love with him and want more than nothing for him to be with me”

“Fine then, just thought I would help”

“Hey Lou, I know you mean well and that’s why I love you but I can’t destroy Niall’s happiness. I’ll just sit here and glare at Liam all night while I drink my body weight in alcohol”

“Sounds like a good plan”

Niall comes back with my drink and he sits down across from me in the booth, Liam falling in beside him. I glare at Liam like I said I would but he hasn’t notice yet which is lucky for me because when he sees he’ll do everything in his power to piss me off. Niall looks at me funny when he sees me glaring at Liam but I shake my head to let him know everything’s fine.

Louis now taken to annoying Harry at any chance he gets and I’ve decided to join him to take my mind of what’s going on across the other side of the booth. Harry and I are deep I conversation when I see Liam look to the side of him, obviously checking out the girl that just walked past. My blood runs hot when I see that but it makes me even more mad when he gets up and makes it obvious he’s going to chat her up. The other three might not see it but I do and I just wish I could follow him to see what he’s up to but I don’t want Niall to get suspicious so I go back to drinking and talking with Harry.

I don’t know how many drinks I’ve had but I know that I’m buzzed enough to not quite remember where I am. I can feel a hand on my arm and I come face to face with Niall who’s looking quite flushed, his cheeks are rosy and I can tell he’s had a few too many to drink.

“Dance with me Zayn!”

I laugh and shake my head resulting in Niall slapping my arm and trying his best to get me out of the booth “I don’t want to! ask Liam”

“I would but he’s disappeared! Please Zayn, you know you want to!”

“Fine, only because you asked nicely”

I slide out of the booth and follow Niall into the middle of the floor, he grabs my hips and pulls me in so our foreheads are touching. He starts to move his hips in a way which should be illegal and I can’t help but feel a warm feeling in the pit of my stomach as I watch Niall’s hips move. I feel like everybody else isn’t there and it’s just the two of us on that dancefloor, my heart beats fast when he slips his leg between my thighs and I just hope he doesn’t notice the beating of my heart.

He looks up at me through his eyelashes and I feel my heart flutter. I never realised how much of an impact he has on me until this moment, I smile before looking up and around, I can see Louis and Harry from the booth with matching smirks on their faces and I just wave and Louis puts his thumbs up and Harry shakes his head. I look back to Niall and he pulls away,

“Bathroom!”

“Go ahead, I’ll still be here”

I watch as he walks off and I stand there for a couple of seconds before walking back to the booth, I’m met with two faces smiling at me and I just ignore them and sit down. I pull my phone out of my pocket and look at the time before putting in back in my pocket just in time for Niall to grab my wrist and direct me back to the dancefloor. I don’t protest this time and I can hear Louis behind me,

“Get in!”

I stick the middle finger up at him before pulling Niall in close. We resume dancing the way we were before and I start to feel warm again. We dance for a few more minutes before Niall stops moving and I can feel his whole body tense up and I think about how Liam’s probably watching us, I look up at look over to where Niall’s looking and my jaw drops a little bit and I feel my blood run hot again.

“What the fuck?”

I look at Niall and I can feel him drop his hands from my waist as he walks away and over to where Liam is standing. I can’t hear what they’re saying, Niall turns around with tears in his eyes I know it’s not good. Niall walks over to where Louis and Harry are watching and he grabs his phone off the table and storms out the club, Harry following behind him as Louis makes his way over to me.

I point to where Liam is and I swear for a second Louis about to go over there and hurt him but I stop him and grab him by the shoulders and lead him through the crowd and out the door. “We should get out of here”. We turn the corner and head to the car in silence and it’s only a matter of time before Louis starts yelling,

“Who the hell does he think he is? How can he hurt Niall like that?”

“I don’t know but don’t think for a second I’m letting him get away with anything”

We get to the car and Harry’s sitting in the driver’s seat and talking to Niall and all he does is stare out the front window, honestly it scares me when he does this. You never know what he’s going to do and I just wish I did.

“You guys okay?”

“Yeah thanks H”

Harry starts the car and we head back to mine and Niall’s place, once we get to ours I give him the keys and Niall rushes out the car and slams the door which scares all of us. Harry turns to me,

“Will you be okay or did you need us to stay?”

I shake my head, “it’s fine, I’ll text you guys in the morning and let you know” I get out the car and head up the pathway and into the house. I close the door and lock it before heading up the stairs, I get hallway up the stairs when a loud sob breaks out and I rush up the stairs and push open Niall’s bedroom door. My heart breaks at the sight of him lying in the middle of his bed with his face in his pillows and his sobs are being muffled. I walk over and crawl onto the bed and I stroke his back as his body shakes, I roll him over on his side so he’s looking at me, I run my fingers down his arm and he looks up, his eyes are red and my heart breaks even more than before. I lay down next to him and he moves his body so he’s got his head on my chest, my hands move to his hair and I continue to run my hands through his hair as he lets out another sob. This time it’s louder and I can feel my heart tighten, I start to feel tears run down my cheeks, I didn’t even know I was crying. I kiss his head as I close my eyes and drift off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

****

I wake up with a sore neck and I realise why when I look down and see myself laying funny on Niall’s bed. I forget why I was there for a second but when the memory of last night comes to me, I remember suddenly. I look down to see Niall sleeping peacefully but my smile drops when I can see he’s only really just stopped crying. I move my head to look at the time but it hurts so I don’t bother instead I pull my phone out and see a couple of texts from Harry asking me to call him. I get out of bed careful not to wake Niall and I grab a jumper before I head down the stairs and out to the garden.

I pull out a cigarette from the pack and I light it up as I dial Harry’s number, it rings a few times before his voice some through the phone,

“Hey mate, how is he?”

“Oh not good, he’s been crying most of the night and it looks like he’s only just stopped”

“That sucks, what about you? how are you feeling?”

“Oh my heart breaks for him but there’s nothing really I could say to him to get him to stop letting Liam hurt him”

“True. Do you think he’s going to be okay?”

“I don’t know, I mean it might take him a while but he should be okay as long as we’re here for him”

“Yeah, your right. Look I got to go but tell him to text me later on when he’s feeling better”

“Will do, bye”

I hang up and finish of my cigarette before I walk back inside and up the stairs. I gently push the door open and Niall is nowhere to be seen. I look around the room and I can see a note on his pillow, I pick it up and read it. My fist clenches as I read what it says,

**_‘Gone to see Liam, don’t worry I’ll be fine. talk to you later xx’_ **

I run down the stairs and grab my keys, not bothering to put any shoes on and close the door before locking it. I run to my car and start it before driving off and heading to Louis. I get there and knock on the door, the door clicks and Harry open it with a smile but it soon drops when he sees me,

“Are you okay?”

“No, can I come in?”

“Of course, Louis gone to get coffees. Did you want one, I can text him and tell him to get you one”

“It’s fine thanks anyway” I groan and place my head in my hands,

“What happened? Shouldn’t you be at home with Niall?”

“I should but he’s gone to meet Liam”

“Shit, did you try and stop him?”

“No, he must’ve left when I was talking to you outside having a smoke. I definitely would have stopped him if I knew he was going to see him”

“I know” Harry taps my leg before moving to sit on the couch with me, he pulls me in for a sideways hug, “Why would he go and see him after last night? If anything he should be trying to forget about Liam”

“I know but you know what Niall’s like. When he loves someone he’d do anything for them even if it means looking past the fact that he’s been cheated on”

“Yeah you’re right”

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out to see a text from Niall and another from Louis, I read Niall’s first,

**‘I need you’**

My heart stops at the thought of Niall possibly being hurt, I quickly read Louis text,

_‘I’m here with Niall, get home quick?’_

I stand up quickly and grab my keys from the table, Liam looks at me and I can tell he’s worried about me,

“what’s up?”

“Niall’s just text me saying he needs me”

“Alright, I’ll come with you!”

We rush outside and I get in the car and start it as Harry finishes locking the door, he slides in the passenger seat and I drive home, my heart beating fast as I speed along. We get to the house in 10 minutes and I turn off the car and lock it once Harry gets out, I rush inside and I’m met with the sight of Niall sitting on the couch just staring at the wall in front of him, it’s exactly like last night and I’m scared.

Louis walks through into the living room holding a cup of tea and he places it in front of Niall, I sit down on the couch next to Niall and I pull him in for a hug and like last night he lets out a huge sob and once again my heart breaks, I feel like I’m about to cry but I shake it off because I don’t want to look like an idiot. Louis and Harry join us on the sofa and all four of us sit there for a while in silence. Niall sniffles every so often and I hold onto him just a little bit tighter whilst running my hands through his hair. He wipes his eyes before looking up at me and I can’t help but think, even though he’s been crying he still looks perfect.

“Thanks guys”

“Hey, it’s what we’re here for”

“Harry’s right, we’re here for you if you need to talk”

Niall nods his head as he turns around to hug Louis and Harry,

“Thanks for picking me up. I really appreciate it”

I can’t help but feel jealous over the fact that Niall called Louis to pick him up and not me but Louis looks over and tells me he’ll tell me why later, I smile and nod my head.


	6. Chapter 6

****

Louis and Harry end up having to leave later on in the evening, they were a bit sceptical to leave me alone but I told them I would be okay and they left letting us know that if we need anything to call them and they’ll be here. I walk up the stairs towards my room but I stop just outside Niall’s door when I hear a muffled sob, I push open the door and Niall has his head in his hands, he’s got a bottle of something in his hand and he has his phone on the pillow open to what looks like Facebook. I walk over to the bed and sit down and hold onto him tightly.

I look down and I’m met with the sight of a picture of Liam with his arms wrapped around some girl’s waist at some club and he swipes to the next one and it’s a picture that someone else taken of Liam and the same girl against a wall and they look quite cosy. My fists clench as I’m holding onto Niall and I can feel anger rising inside me, I hold onto Niall tightly.

“That asshole!” I whisper and run my fingers up Niall arm. I grab the phone and turn it off before throwing it back down onto the bed.

“Why would he do that? Why would he post that stuff when he knows I would be able to see it?”

“I don’t know why babe but don’t let him get you down, okay. You don’t deserve this.”

Niall lets out another sob and I hold him tightly again my shirt becoming wet with his tears.

I have no idea how long it’s been but Niall’s still quietly crying and my heart is still slowly breaking. We’ve been passing the bottle of rum between us and I can feel myself becoming buzzed like I was the other night and I can tell Niall’s feeling the same, I would be shocked if he wasn’t. we’re both sitting at the top of the bed just staring at the wall in front of us and I’m telling Niall some story and he’s cracking a small smile and that makes me feel warm inside but then again, he always does.

I say another thing and he throws his head back and I feel victorious that I got him to smile. He passes me the bottle and our fingertips brush and a shock runs up my arm, he leans into lay his head on my shoulder and I lay my head on his,

“You alright?”

“Yeah, thanks for today I really appreciate it”

“It’s no problem, you know I’ll always be here for you”

I smile and look down to see Niall staring at me and I can’t stop looking into his eyes that I don’t realise I’m slowly moving my head down until Niall’s lips meet mine. Our lips move together and I sit up more as Niall gets onto his knees and pushes me up against the headboard, he straddles my lap as he pulls away and looks at me with this look in his eyes I’ve never seen before and it gives me a funny feeling inside.

“Should we be doing this?”

“Probably not”

We look at each other for a couple of seconds before he leans back in and presses his lips to mine. I didn’t expect this night to turn out like this and I know I should say no but my head is all over the place that I can’t push him off. I shiver as he pulls my shirt off and throws it onto the floor, he places his lips back onto mine and he starts to kiss my neck. I should probably push him off but it feels good.

We spend the rest of the night kissing until we fall asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

****

The sun shines through the window and I can feel my head start to hurt, I quietly groan and sit up before looking around the room and analysing my surroundings. When I realise I’m in Niall’s room my mind flashes back to last night and I feel my heart stop when I realise what went on, I lay back down and stare at the ceiling before turning over. I come face to face with Niall and I can see he’s starting to wake up so I pretend to be asleep, he groans as I squint out the corner of my eye, he sits up and runs his hand through his hair before doing what I did. He lays down and turns to the side and I can see him blush when he looks at me,

“Hey”

“Hi”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks”

We stare at each other in silence for a few minutes before both of us start to speak. I motion for him to continue,

“Look about last night, can we forget that ever happened? I mean, we were pretty drunk and I was quite vulnerable and I never should have initiated the kiss”

My stomach drops as he asks me to forget about last night, I don’t want to. I never want to forget about how his lips felt on mine but I don’t say anything, I just nod my head,

“Yeah sure”

“Thanks mate”

“It’s all good” I sit up and I feel sick so I quickly get up and run out the door and into the bathroom, I drop to my knees and I feel vomit rising in my throat and I let it all out. I sit back onto the tiles and wipe my mouth, I grab my toothpaste and quickly brush my teeth before walking out into the hallway. I walk past Niall’s room to see him looking at his phone, he looks up at me,

“You alright mate?”

“Yeah, I’m all good. I’ll be outside if you need me”

“Okay”

I grab my phone from the table in the living room and head outside for a smoke, my head hurts so much I don’t know if I’ll be able to do anything today. I open my phone up and dial Louis number, he answers after a couple of rings,

“What do you want?”

“I fucked up”

“What are you talking about? What happened?”

“I kissed him last night, or he kissed me”

“Wow okay, uh…did you like it?”

“We were pretty drunk but yes I did”

“What about Niall? how did he feel?”

“I have no idea to be honest. He woke up this morning and basically told me he regrets it. I mean he asked if we could forget about it but that still means he regrets kissing me”

 “Uh okay, didn’t expect that. How is he though? He okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine, wasn’t too much trouble last night either. I did catch him looking at Liam’s Facebook and Instagram at one point but I quickly stopped him”

“Good, don’t want him too upset. What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean? What do I have to do?”

“Ugh, you don’t have to do anything but I hope you don’t let Liam get to Niall before you. You know what he’s like, he’ll try and get Niall back”

“Your right, I’ll think of something”

The doorbell rings and I quickly get up to answer it. I keep Louis on the line as I walk through the kitchen and into the living room, I cant see who it is through the door but when I answer it I wish I knew who it was. I come face to face with Liam, who’s smiling but when he looks at my face, his smile drops and he glares at me. “Louis, I’m gonna have to call you back. We have an unexpected visitor” I hang up and put my phone in my jumper pocket and lean against the door frame, I cross my arms and glare,

“What do you want? Haven’t you hurt him enough?”

“Look Malik, I don’t want to fight but I need to know if he’s in?”

“Yeah, he is but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to see him right now”

“Please Zayn, I just need to talk to him, tell him I’m sorry”

“Liam, you know I’m not going to do that, just go, okay?”

“Seriously mate, all I want to do is apologise to my boyfriend but I cant do that if your standing there”

I hear footsteps from behind me and I quickly close the door a tiny bit behind me so Niall doesn’t see but he opens it from behind me and I can hear him breathe in before breathing out and speaking,

“Liam, what are you doing here?”

“I came to apologise…please let me explain what happened?”

I glare at Liam before turning around to look at Niall who is considering whether or not he should listen to Liam’s explanation. I give Niall one of my looks and he just raises his eyebrow before shaking his head,

“Uh okay, why not?”

I snort when I get a good look at Liam’s face. I really want to punch him right now but I just step aside and let Liam through but I pull Niall aside.

“what are you doing? Why are you letting him explain? He doesn’t need to, it’s pretty clear what happened the other night and I don’t know about the other day but he hurt you and you need to tell him and put him in his place”

“Zayn, I love you but you need to stop being so overprotective of me. It’s my decision and I just want to hear what he has to say”

“Fine! I’m going to go round to Louis okay but you text or call me if you need anything, I will come straight home if you need me too”

“I think I’ll be okay but I will do that”

I sigh before pulling him in for a hug. I let him go and I head up the stairs and I quickly shampoo my hair before dressing and heading down the stairs. I can hear whispers coming from the kitchen and all I want to do is go in there an intervene but I let it go and quietly head out the door.

The whole way to Louis I can’t stop thinking about how smug Liam looked when Niall caved in and let him have a chance to explain. I really wanted to punch him but I knew that wouldn’t go down well and I don’t want Niall angry with me. I open the door to Louis place with the key he gave me and I walk into the living room to see Harry sitting on the floor, I walk over to him and sit down next to him.

“You okay mate?”

“Oh Zayn, didn’t realise you would be coming round”

“Yeah, needed to get out the house, an unexpected visitor showed up at the house so I decided to come here”

“Sounds reasonable, but why didn’t you stay with Niall?”

“As I said we had an unexpected visitor and I just couldn’t be in that house with him there, so I thought why not come and see you two. Anyway what are you doing on the floor, wouldn’t you prefer to sit on the sofa?”

“I would but as you can see Louis taken over the whole thing”

I turn around and I can see Louis smirking at me so I poke him in the nose, “Why are you asleep? I was talking to you not only half an hour ago”

“I know, I haven’t had any sleep these last few days what with everything that’s been going on with Niall. I’ve also been thinking of way to hurt Liam, some of them would be good ideas but Harry would kill me if I hurt him.”

“I can think of some ways but I won’t say anything” I look between the both of them and smirk, “So, who’s making breakfast for me?” I get a smack in the head from the two of them, I laugh as I hit them both back.


End file.
